St Patrick's skipper Ger O'Brien: We are relishing the chance to face Celtic in Dublin but first we must take care of Legia Warsaw

TALKS have already taken place about switching a potential St Pat's v Celtic clash to Dublin's Aviva Stadium to accommodate the massive away support that would be expected to travel to the Irish capital.

St Pat's skipper Ger O'Brien is desperate to see off Legia Warsaw and line-up a Dublin clash with Celtic

CELTIC could become the first club in Champions League history to play two ties at home in the same qualifying round.

St Pat’s skipper Ger O’Brien would love a showdown with the Scottish champions in Dublin, even though he admits his own club’s support will be swamped by fans of the Hoops.

Preliminary talks have already taken place to switch the third-round tie to the Aviva Stadium if St Pat’s see off Legia Warsaw on Wednesday.

That match is finely poised at 1-1 following the first leg in Poland while Ronny Deila’s squad have all but secured their passage to the next round after a 1-0 win at KR Reykjavik.

Full-back O’Brien dreams of following in the footsteps of the St Pat’s class of 1998, who secured a 0-0 draw against Henrik Larsson and Co in a Champions League qualifier at Parkhead before losing the return leg 2-0.

He would happily play at the national stadium, even if the majority of 50,000 Dubliners would be backing Celtic.

O’Brien said: “Average attendances in our league are approximately 4000 at a push, so our players would love playing in the Aviva atmosphere.

“We took on Hannover two years ago and I’ve been fortunate to play at the Aviva in glamour friendlies against both Manchester giants.

“It’s important to grab these chances with both hands and embrace every minute. However, it would represent a home tie for Celtic, we wouldn’t kid ourselves otherwise.

“The League of Ireland have worked so hard to boost the attendances in our domestic game but the bottom line is we are a country saturated by English Premiership and Scottish football. All the idols for our kids are over the water and that’s reflected in the replica kits they wear on the streets.

“That includes Celtic and the majority of fans in the stadium, if we get through, will be Celtic supporters.

“We know how close our two countries are and how much Celtic mean to so many people over here. We played them before in Europe and competed well.

“It would be great for this generation to have the opportunity to do likewise.”

O’Brien had planned a trip to Scotland later this year anyway, to watch the Republic take on Gordon Strachan’s side in November’s Euro 2016 qualifier.

It will at least allow him to see Celtic Park after the Commonwealth Games forced the Parkhead club to play their first two Euro qualifiers at Murrayfield.

He added: “My wife is expecting and the baby’s due around the same time as the Scotland-Ireland game. If the wee one comes early I’ll come over for the game. If not, I’ll be at home with my feet up, watching it on the telly.

“I’m a fan of international football and the game is so close. Scotland’s only a stone’s throw away and both sets of fans travel so well together.

“If St Pat’s manage to get through it’s just a pity we can’t play at Celtic Park but Murrayfield’s a fantastic venue.

“We’ve had to move our home leg against Legia from Richmond Park to Tallaght Stadium, home of Shamrock Rovers, for security reasons so we know what it’s like to play in unfamiliar surroundings.

“There are so many Poles coming over for the game and so many live in Dublin that the Gardai wanted it moved to a bigger stadium.”

O’Brien, 30, is in his second stint at St Pat’s after spells with clubs including Derry City, Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians.

He went to the same school as Dundee United defender Sean Dillon and Jon Daly, with the late father of the Rangers striker taking his team when he was a kid.

He’s also on first name terms with Jonny Hayes, Willo Flood and Niall McGinn. But, a semi-pro tournament in Aberdeen apart, the closest he came to playing in Scotland was when a move to Motherwell broke down at the last minute when Jim Gannon left Fir Park as manager in 2009.

For now, his ambitions are being fulfilled under Liam Buckley at St Pat’s and he is confident they can finish the job against Legia on Wednesday.

He said: “We’re helped by the fact we’re midway through our domestic season. You really notice it in the levels of sharpness.

“We know if we were to face Legia another six weeks down the line they would be a different animal, much fitter and fresher.

“But now all the pressure is on Legia and we’re really looking forward to facing them again. If we score a goal or two at home we stand a great chance.”